Wonderlic. It isn't the name of a German ice cream cone, but it should be.
While this upcoming weekend is all about physical talent, it goes without saying that football intelligence is an important part of a player's skillset. After all, you can have all the ability in the world, but without an awareness for what's going on on the field, you just going to have that much success in the league.
Enter the Wonderlic Test.
The Wonderlic Test is a series of 50 multiple choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes and is supposed to measure overall intelligence. Almost all NFL prospects take the Wonderlic at some point (as well as employees of other companies), and for better or worse, coaches do take a player's score into account when considering him for the draft.
And while what a player gets on his Wonderlic Test is a subject of discussion, at the end of the day it doesn't do all that much to measure actual intelligence, nor does it translate into how well a player will be able to perform on the field. Ryan Fitzpatrick scored a 48 on his Wonderlic, and he has been little more than a backup for his entire career. Blaine Gabbert scored a 42, and we've probably seen the last of him as a starter in the league. Frank Gore apparently scored a 6, and he's one of the better backs of the past several years. Tim Tebow, an extremely intelligent guy, only scored a 22, which is low for a quarterback (cue the Tebow as a quarterback jokes!). Tom Brady scored a 33, and his predecessor Drew Bledsoe scored a 37, so there has to be something there.
I just took the Wonderlic for the hell of it, and I got a 35. So if there are any coaches out there looking for backup...um...punter?.... shoot me an email.
If you have 12 minutes to spare and want to take the Wonderlic, click here. And feel free to post your score in the comments section. No judgements here, I promise.
And to see how you stacked up against some of the bigger names in the NFL, click here.